Best Friends
by The Honorary Weasley
Summary: Seamus and Caitlyn have been best friends since they were toddlers, and that didn't change any when they both went to Hogwarts, but will it change as time goes on? - Set in Half-Blood Prince.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - Hey, everybody! I decided to write a story with an OC, since I've never done that before, so here it is! Hope you like it!

"Hey, Seamus!" said Caitlyn brightly one morning.  
>"Morning." replied Seamus. Caitlyn sat down opposite Seamus at the Gryffindor table. It was lunch time, but most students were outside, enjoying the unusual good weather for February.<br>"Did you get that Potions homework done?" asked Caitlyn.  
>"Badly." replied Seamus. "Expecting about an Acceptable, if even that."<br>"I probably won't even do as well as that." groaned Caitlyn. "I saw you working on it every night since we were given it." said Seamus.  
>"Yeah, becuase I couldn't do it." said Caitlyn. "It was way too hard!"<br>"I know," replied Seamus. "Sanpe's been even more of a git than usual lately, setting us loads of homework, half the stuff only Granger can understand."  
>"I should ask Hermione for help more often." said Caitlyn thoughtfully. "She's a bloody genius." Their conversation stopped for a minute or so, before Seamus got up.<br>"Let's not be late for our doom," he said. "Otherwise known as Snape's class when handing in a rubbish essay." Caitlyn smiled, and followed Seamus out of the Great Hall towards the dungeons.

*  
>"Hey, Kate." said Lavender Brown, later that day.<br>"Hi, Lav." replied Caitlyn.  
>"I saw you sitting with Seamus earlier." she said. Lavender was the only person alive who thought there was something going on between Caitlyn and Seamus, and it annoyed Caitlyn greatly at the best of times.<br>"We were talking about Snape's stupid essay," said Caitlyn, ignoring Lavender's silly grin.  
>"Oh, yeah, sure." replied Lavender. "We all know you were declaring your undying love for one another!" she said, over-acting and putting on a silly, soppy voice.<br>"Lavender, if you don't shut about me and Seamus, which is never going to happen, I will put jinxes on you that you never even knew existed." said Caitlyn calmly.  
>"Oh, mee-ow." replied Lavender, giggling to herself. "Calm down, Caitlyn, it's just a bit of fun." Caitlyn rolled here eyes, and just kept walking.<p>

*  
>"Hey, Seamus." said Caitlyn. They were the only ones it the Gryffindor Common room, besides Ginny Weasley, who was sitting in a corner, lost in a book.<br>"Hi, Caitlyn." said Seamus, moving over to make room for her on the sofa. She sat down next to him. "Potions again tomorrow. Get our essay marks back."  
>"Oh, happy days." said Seamus sarcastically.<br>"Dreadful, here I come." said Caitlyn. "Or maybe Troll."  
>"Ah, you won't get a Troll." said Seamus. "I've never seen anyone get less than Poor."<br>"Well, you're about to." said Caitlyn. She stood up, and did an impression of a ringmaster. "Roll up, roll up, ladies and gentlemen, to see the one, the only, Caitlyn Hannah Whyte, the only student ever to earn Dreadful in Snape's Potions class!" Seamus stood up too.  
>"And her assistant, Mr Seamus Finnigan, the only student alive today who has gotten closest to her Dreadful, only just missing it by a mark or two." he said in the same silly impression. They both fell about langhing, even making Ginny look up from her book, which was something, as she had not even noticed them doing their crazy impressions.<br>"See, this is why you're my best friend," said Caitlyn. "You're not affraid to make yourself look stupid and have a good laugh."  
>"Same to you." said Seamus.<br>"Do you remember our secret handshake we made up when we were about nine?" asked Caitlyn.  
>"Of course I do." he said, and they performed the silly handshake.<br>"Perfect." replied Caitlyn.  
>"See, I never forgot it." he said.<br>"Those were good times." said Caitlyn, smiling to herself. "Do you remember Rachael Torner? That Muggle girl we used to hang about with. And her brother, Jack?"  
>"Yeah. I didn't like Jack much." said Seamus. "But I put up with him. The two Muggles and the two wizard kids, eh?"<br>"At the start, it was the three Muggle kids and the wizard." said Caitlyn. "We never knew I was a witch until I was about eight, and I kept jumping off the swing and sort of floating down. Then you went and told your mum, and you both figured out I was a Muggle-born witch and you told me, and your mum explained it to my dad."  
>"Yeah, you still owe me for that." said Seamus. "You weren't going into Hogwarts completely clueless."<br>"I pulled you out of the Lake when you fell in. Second Year, remember?" said Caitlyn. "I thought we were even after that."  
>"Damn, why'd you remember that?" asked Seamus, grinning. Caitlyn began to laugh, but then began to yawn. She looked at the clock.<br>"It's after half past ten. I'm going to bed." she said. "Night, Seamus. Enjoy your last night with both your mind and body intact before Snape kills us both."  
>"Will do, Kate." he replied. "Night."<p>

A/N - So, how was it? Leave a comment please, and tell me what you thought. If you liked it, go on and read chapter two. I really apreciate any sort of feedback! 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Okay, for this story, I'm just gonna pretend Snape remained the Potions teacher instead of Slughorn. Enjoy!

The next morning, Caitlyn took her usual seat in Snape's dungeon for Potions, first lesson. Seamus hadn't arrived yet, and neither had Hermione or Neville, who sat in the two seats in front. The four were often told to work together for potions that required more than two pairs of hands. After a while, Neville appeared, and sat down in his seat.  
>"Hi, Neville." said Caitlyn.<br>"Oh, hey, Caitlyn." said Neville, taking out his Potions book.  
>"You ready for the essay scores?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"No." replied Neville sadly.  
>"Join the club." said Caitlyn brightly, holding out her hand for Neville to shake. Neville's face went pink as he took Caitlyn's hand, and Caitlyn shook it enthusuastically. Caitlyn let go, and the two laughed together, though Neville somewhat awkwardly. Caitlyn liked Neville. Just as a friend, nothing more, but he was a good person, someone who's company Caitlyn genuinely enjoyed. Then Draco Malfoy sauntered up to them.<br>"Well, what have we got here?" he drawled, as Neville went a deep shade of pink. "Whyte and Longbottom holding hands?"  
>"Get lost, Malfoy." said Caitlyn, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.<br>"Acting all tough for Longbottom, Whyte? I would've thought you'd go for someone a little less... him." said Malfoy. "Besides, you're already with Finnigan."  
>"Malfoy, while I may be terrible at Potions, I'm pretty good at Charms, even if I say so myself." said Caitlyn. "And, trust me, you don't want to see me when I get really pissed off at someone with a wand in my hand, it gets nasty."<br>"Gracious, Whyte, innapropriate behaviour in class with boys, threatening behaviour and bad language all in the space of less than a minute, and also, in a classroom." said Malfoy. "I'd say that would merit detention."  
>"Malfoy, do the world a favour and get caught up in a horrific accident already." I said.<br>"Two detentions." he said, turning to Crabbe, then to Goyle, as though consulting them.  
>"If I'm going down, I'm gonna do it thoroughly." I said. "You're a spiteful, bloddy rotten, loathsome, irritable little toad of an excuse for a boy, Malfoy, and the only reason half of Slytherin worships you is because they think you're in with You-Know-Who."<br>"Crabbe, add name-calling and unfounded accusations to that list." said Malfoy. Then, Seamus set his schoolbag down on the desk next to Caitlyn.  
>"Take a hike, Malfoy. You're not welcome anywhere I am." said Seamus.<br>"Then leave." said Malfoy, sniggering at his own wit.  
>"This is my desk." said Seamus. "I have to sit here, therefore you're not welcome here."<br>"Does the desk have your name on it, Finnigan?" asked Malfoy.  
>"Yeah, actually, it does." said Seamus. He pointed it out to Malfoy. "Snape ingraved `S. Finnigan` into the desk in tiny letters becuase, last year, I kept trying to go sit with Dean at the back. Snape put my name on the desk so I couldn't dispute the fact that I'm meant to sit here." The look on Malfoy's face was priceless. He had no answer to that. He'd been outsmarted.<br>"Come on Crabbe, Goyle." he said. "We've got better things to do than waste our time with a Mudblood, an idiot and... an even bigger idiot." With that, the three of them left.  
>"Nice one, Seamus!" I said, thumping him on the back in congratulations.<br>"Anything to get rid of that little -"  
>"Morning!" said Hermione, who had just arrived.<br>"Morning, Hermy-oneay." I said. I'd called Hermione this as a nickname ever since we first met in the girls' dormitory on our first night at Hogwarts. I'd picked up a book, which ready `this book is property of Hermione Granger.` I'd seen it written down before I'd heard it spoken out loud, so I though it was pronounced like that. She didn't mind. In fact, it was a sort of novelty for her to have a nickname, as you can't really shorten Hermione to anything catchy, so she kind of liked it.  
>"Potions essay scores today." she said. "I'm worried aboutt mine."<br>"Yeah, you might only get Exceeds Expectations, Hermione, that'll be a tragedy." said Seamus. Hermione rolled her eyes, and began to look in her schoolbag for her textbook. Five minutes later, Snape arrived.  
>"Today, we will be making the Draght of Living Death. Each pair will need the ingredients and exuipment listed on the blackboard." he said in his usual pained-sounding voice. "Not so fast, you four." he said, walking over to the desks of Seamus, Caitlyn, Hermione and Neville. "Granger and Finnigan, swap partners." he said. "Granger, you're too clever for your own good, maybe you can teach Miss Whyte a thing or two." Hermione and Seamus swapped seats, everyone involved looking a bit annoyed.<br>"Right," said Hermione. "How about I get the ingredients, and you get the equipment?"  
>"Sure," I replied, and went off to get the stuff we'd need. Hermione brought back all the ingredients, and we set to work.<p>

*  
>"Well, it's quite clear nobody has been able to make a perfect draught," said Snape. "Except... Potter. How, may I ask, did you manage to out-perform not only Miss Granger, but the whole class, Mr Potter?"<br>"I- I dunno, I just followed the instructions, Professor Snape." said Harry. Snape gave him an extremely suspicious look before looking into Neville and Seamus's cauldron.  
>"Just about acceptable, Finnigan, Longbottom." said Snape. Then he moved onto Hermione and Caitlyn's cauldron. "Above average. Needless to say, above and beyond your usual standards, Miss Whyte. No doubt Miss Granger did all the work."<br>"Please, Professor," said Hermione. "Caitlyn and I both did our fair share of the work. We worked together on the potion."  
>"Do not lie, Miss Granger." said Snape. "For next class, you will write me a 12 inch piece of parchment of lines, reading `I must not lie to professors, and I must not do all Practical work myself`." Hermione's cheeks went a bit pink, and she seemed to have tears brimming in her eyes." After Snape had moved away and was out of earshot, Caitlyn turned to Hermione.<br>"Hermione, please don't cry, it'll make everything worse," she said. "I'll help you with the lines, you were trying to stick up for me."  
>"No, it's akay, Caitlyn, I'll do the lines myself." said Hermione. "Our handwriting's different, Snape would know someone had done some of it for me. But thank you anyway." Caitlyn gave Hermione a consoling pat on the back.<br>"Now, I have your essays here," said Snape. "You will each get them back, and be able to see what score you got. They have been marked Outstanding right through to Troll, just as your N.E. will be." he handed out essay after essay. Finally, he got to Neville and Seamus's desk. He handed a piece of parchment to Neville. "Not bad, considering your Potions ability." said Snape. Then, he handed out Seamus's. "Dissappointing, Finnigan." Then he moved to Hermione and Caitlyn's desk. He didn't even bother to comment on Hermione's score, just handed her her essay with an `O` marked on the front, with twenty-nine out of thirty marks. He didn't give one to Caitlyn, and instead walked on towards the back of the room.  
>"Why didn't you get yours back?" whispered Seamus, turning around in his seat to face Caitlyn.<br>"I dunno." she replied, though she was begining to feel sick to the stomach with worry. When Snape had finished giving out essays, and had returned to his desk, Caitlyn raised her hand.  
>"P-professor, you forgot to give me back my e-essay." she said shakily.<br>"Ah, yes." said Snape. "Here it is." he walked over to Caitlyn and placed the parchment on her desk. She looked at it, only to see a big `D` on the front. "This was the single worst essay it has ever been my displeasure to mark, Miss Whyte. I am simply horrified by the unbelievably bad standards you have displayed in this essay. I knew beforehand that you possessed no Potions ability to speak of, even with Mr Finnigan or Miss Granger whispering answers and instructions in your ear throughout lessons, but-"  
>"Stop yelling at her." said a voice from behind Snape. He turned around, to see Seamus.<br>"Mr Finnigan, are you telling me how to run my class?" he asked.  
>"No, but I'm telling you to leave Caitlyn alone." said Seamus. "Every single night since we were given that essay, she sat in the Common room for hours, until the early hours of the morning sometimes, trying really hard to do well with it. She got really annoyed with herself sometimes, but she tried really hard, professor, and I think you should be a bit easier and give her a bit of credit for trying harder than anyone else."<br>"You shall both speak to me at the end of class." said Snape. "Now, class, due to these horrifying attempts at the Draught of Living Death, I'd like you all to write a summary of what the characteristics of a perfect draught would look like, and the best way to go about making one. Class dismissed." Everyone packed up in silence, and began to file out of the room. Caitlyn put her books away, but stayed where she was.  
>"Good luck." whispered Hermione, with a terrified expression on her face, before hurrying to catch up with Harry. After everyone had left, Seamus and Caitlyn walked slowly up to Snape's desk. They both stood in front of it. The desk was quite tall, and it reached Caitlyn's stomach.<br>"Now," said Snape. "I shall start with you, Miss Whyte. If I should ever recieve such a poor essay again, you shall regret it greatly." Seamus grabbed Caitlyn's hand under the table, where Snape couldn't see, and squeezed it to help her stay composed. "And Mr Finnigan, you do not tell a teacher how to run their classes, nor do you try to stick up for other students if they are being punished for stupid behaviour. Now, both you and your girlfriend here will do detention tomorrow night. Be in my office at seven o'clock."  
>"Yes, Professor Snape." said Caitlyn quietly.<br>"Yes, professor." said Seamus.  
>"Good." said Snape. "Now, get to your next lesson." Seamus let go of Caitlyn's hand, and they grabbed their schoolbags and hurried out of the room. Their next lesson was Divination, so neither of them were in a hurry to get there. After a minute or so, Seamus stopped, and turned to face Caitlyn.<br>"You alright?" he asked.  
>"Yeah." replied Caitlyn, though there were tears running down her cheeks.<br>"Hey, don't cry, Kate." said Seamus soothingly.  
>"Why am I such an idiot?" Caitlyn asked. The question wasn't really directed at Seamus, more at thin air. "I'm rubbish at everything, and now I've got not just myself, but you in trouble for it."<br>"You're not an idiot, and I don't care about getting detention." said Seamus. "Here," he said, opening his arms. Caitlyn walked towards him, and cried on his shoulder. Inside, Seamus got that feeling he got every time he and Caitlyn touched. Caitlyn let her arms rest by her side, just burying her head in Seamus's shoulder, while Seamus patted her back reasuringly. After a while, Caitlyn pulled away from Seamus, wiping her eyes.  
>"Thanks, Shay." she said, smiling through the tears.<br>"What are friends for?" replied Seamus, smiling inwardly at Caitlyn calling him Shay again. When they were about ten, they'd starting calling each other Shay and Kate rather than Seamus and Caitlyn. Caitlyn hadn't used the nickname in quite a while, and Seamus was begining to think she though it was too childish or something. "We'd better get to Divination soon."  
>"Yeah." agreed Caitlyn, and they bagan to walk again. After a while, Seamus brought up something that had been dogging him since they'd left Snape's classroom.<br>"Snape called you my girlfriend." he said.  
>"Yeah, he probably thought it would annoy us." replied Caitlyn casually.<br>"Does it annoy you?" asked Seamus.  
>"Nah, I'm used to it, sharing a room with Lavender Brown." said Caitlyn. "You know how she's convinced there's something going on between us. Does it bother you?"<br>"No." replied Seamus truthfully, but casually.  
>"Yeah, we're too good friends for things like that to get to us." said Caitlyn.<br>"Yup." replied Seamus, though he felt like a tiny ray of hope inside him had died, as Caitlyn seemed to show no signs that she felt the way Seamus did.

*  
>"Dean, mate, can I talk to you about something?" asked Seamus later that evening. He and Dean were the only two in the boys' dormitory.<br>"Yeah, what?" asked Dean. Seamus sat down on his bed, leaving against his pillow, while Dean sat at the other end of it, leaning against the post.  
>"I know you're together with someone, Ginny, so I supposed you were as good a person as any to ask." said Seamus. "And also the fact that you're my best mate."<br>"Right, okay." said Dean.  
>"How do you get a girl to notice you?" asked Seamus.<br>"Who is it?" asked Dean.  
>"You've gotta swear you won't tell anyone as long as you live." said Seamus.<br>"I swear on my life." replied Dean.  
>"Caitlyn." said Seamus, looking away from Dean.<br>"No way!" exclaimed Dean. "You serious?"  
>"Yeah." said Seamus quietly. "Yeah, I'm serious."<br>"Whoa." said Dean.  
>"But the thing is, we're such good friends, she thinks of me like her brother. And I used to think of her like my sister, but then that kind of changed." said Seamus. "But how the hell do I get her to see that?" And what if she doesn't like me like that?"<br>"Well, just be really, really nice to her, and if she says, like, `Want to do that essay together tomorrow afternoon?` and when you see her, say something like I asked you to come play Gobstones, but you said no to that because you were coming to see her."  
>"And then she'll realize I like her?" asked Seamus.<br>"It'll help." replied Dean. "And if all else fails, tell her."  
>"I can't tell her." said Seamus. "You don't get it, Dean. We've been best friends since we were four. Twelve years. I'm not prepared to risk a twelve-year-long friendship."<br>"I dunno, sounds like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't," said Dean. "But either way, good luck, mate." Dean got up, and went down to the Common Room, probably to see Ginny. Seamus lay back on his bed, and covered his face with his hands.  
>"Why's it all so complicated?" he asked thin air.<p>

A/N- Well? Any good? Leave a review telling me what you thought! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Hi, everyone. Sorry I haven't continued with this story sooner, but I've been busy. Hope you enjoy it!

"Hi, Kate." said Seamus the next evening, as they met outside Snape's classroom for detention.  
>"Hey, Shay." she replied. They knocked on the door, and stepped inside.<br>"Ah," said Snape, looing up from the papers he'd been reading. "For detention, you're both going to clean all the trophies in the Great Hall. Without magic."  
>"Okay." said Caitlyn quietly.<br>"Well, off you go." said Snape, looking back to the papers in front of him. Caitlyn turned, and walked out of the classroom, followed by Seamus. Once they were well away from Snape's classroom, they were free to insult Snape to their hears content, and that they most certainly did.  
>"If I had three wishes, I'd use one to send Snape to wherever is farthest away from here." said Caitlyn.<br>"And if I got three wishes as well, I'd use one of mine to make sure he never came back." added Seamus. They walked in companiable silence for a few moments, then Seamus decided to make an effort at conversation. "If you really did have three wishes, what would you use them for? Seriously, I mean, not to get revenge on Snape."  
>"I dunno." said Caitlyn. "I suppose I'd use one to make myself smart."<br>"I'd wish that I was able to make a Patronus." said Seamus.  
>"And I'd use another one to get myself a decent racing broom." said Caitlyn.<br>"Any luck getting Harry to let you play a bit more often?" asked Seamus.  
>"No." she replied sadly. Caitlyn was a reserve for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She played Keeper, but Cormac McLaggen had performed just as well as her in tryouts, with Ron Weasley beating them both to get on the team. Harry had then decided to appoint reserves in case any of the team were ever unable to play, and because neither Cormac nor Caitlyn had out-performed the other, there was no fair way to do it other than let them both be reserves. Cormac had always gotten priority over Caitlyn, though, because he had a Nimbus 2001, while Caitlyn had a second-hand Cleansweep. She couldn't really afford a better broom right now, but she had been saving for over a year to get a Nimbus 2000.<br>"Hey, last game, McLaggen cost Gryffindor the match. I don't think Harry'll be in a hurry to have him play again." said Seamus.  
>"Let's hope." said Caitlyn. In the Great Hall, they found a box full of Filtch's cleaning stuff, and each picked up a cloth.<br>"Sooner we start, the sooner we finish." said Seamus, setting to work on the nearest trophy. Caitlyn began to clean one on the other side of the room. The only noise that could be hears was the squeaking of the cloths cleaning the trophies. After a while, though, Caitlyn began to absent-mindedly hum a tune to herself. "That sounds nice." said Seamus.  
>"What?" replied Caitlyn. "Oh, was I humming?"<br>"Yeah. Sounded good." said Seamus.  
>"What was I humming?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"I don't know, but it sounded like this," said Seamus, immitating the tune Caitlyn had been humming.  
>"Oh, yes," said Caitlyn. "You remember that Muggle song I taught you?"<br>"Think so," replied Seamus. "Sing it,"  
>"There she comes, just a-walking down the street, singing do-a-diddy-diddy-dum-diddy-do." sang Caitlyn. That feeling in Seamus's stomach returned as Caitlyn sang her old Muggle song.<br>"You've got a nice voice." said Seamus, smiling at Caitlyn.  
>"You think so?" asked Caitlyn, a look of confusion on her face.<br>"Yeah," replied Seamus.  
>"Hmm." said Caitlyn, returning her attention to polishing trophies. "Thanks."<br>"No problem." said Seamus. It went silent again, until Seamus spoke a few minutes later. "I know a good song."  
>"What?" asked Caitlyn, laughing to herself.<br>"Can you dance like a Hippogriff? Nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah!" sang Seamus, doing a very funny impression of the Weird Sisters while pretending to play guitar. Caitlyn fell about laughing, and Seamus laughed with her.  
>"You know, detention's not so bad when it's with your best friend." said Caitlyn.<br>"Yeah," said Seamus. "Best friend." he said quietly to himself. If only Caitlyn knew how much he wanted that scentence to go `You know, detention's not so bad when it's with your boyfriend.` Seamus sighed, and went back to polishing the trophy in front of him.

*  
>"Hey, Hermy-oneay." said Caitlyn, flopping down on her bed in the girls' dormitory. Hermione was the only other person there.<br>"Oh, hi, Caitlyn." said Hermione.  
>"Hermione, can I ask you something?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"What is it?" replied Hermione.  
>"You know the way Viktor Krum fancied you in Fourth Year?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"Oh. Well, yes." said Hermione. "What about it?"  
>"How'd you get him to notice you?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"I didn't really do anything." said Hermione. "I just acted like myself."  
>"Really?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"Really." said Hermione. "Why do you want to know?"  
>"Because... I have a sort of crush on someone." said Caitlyn.<br>"Is... is it Seamus?" asked Hermione.  
>"Seamus?" repeated Caitlyn, giggling. "No way! Seamus is like my brother."<br>"Then, who is it?" asked Hermione.  
>"Michael Corner." said Caitlyn, falling back on her bed, giggling.<br>"But he's Cho Chang's boyfriend!" said Hermione.  
>"No, they broke up three weeks ago, didn't you know that?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"No, I didn't!" said Hermione. "Well, just be yourself around him. Try talking to him, maybe?"  
>"Yeah, I will." said Caitlyn.<br>"Good luck, Caitlyn, I hope it goes well for you." said Hermione, as she picked up her bag. "I have to go. See you later."  
>"Bye." said Caitlyn.<p>

*  
>The next day was a Saturday. It was a horrible day, with rain pouring down by the bucket, and it was cold outside. Seamus had gone off with Dean before Caitlyn had finished her breakfast, so she had to think up something to do. Her thoughts wandered to Michael, and fondered if he'd be alone right now. She figured the best place to look for him was the library, so she set off to see if he was there. When she went into the library, she went to look for a book, nothing in particular, just something to read. Then she spotted Michael browsing over some books on a shelf. She walked up to him, and began to poke through the books. Madame Pince was nowhere in sight.<br>"Hey." said Caitlyn casually.  
>"Oh, hi." said Michael. "Looking for a book?"<br>"Nothing in particular." said Caitlyn, shrugging. "You?"  
>"Same as you, nothing in particular." he said. "I just wanted something to read."<br>"Yeah, me too." said Caitlyn. "So, why're you hanging about the library on a Saturday?"  
>"Nothing better to do." said Michael. "How about you?"<br>"Nothing better to do." replied Caitlyn.  
>"I thought you always went around with Seamus Finnigan?" said Michael.<br>"Yeah, he's my best friend, but I dunno where he is today." said Caitlyn.  
>"Is he your, you know, boyfriend?" asked Michael.<br>"Not at all." said Caitlyn, laughing to herself. "But I heard you and Cho broke up. I'm sorry to hear that."  
>"Thanks," said Michael. "But I guess we're both better off without each other. It just wasn't working out."<br>"Oh, yeah, I can sympathise with you there." said Caitlyn. "I went out with Dean Thomas in Fourth Year, but it just didn't work. We were too different."  
>"I never knew you and Dean went out together." said Michael.<br>"Yeah, but not for very long." said Caitlyn. "Haven't had a boyfriend since then."  
>"My first girlfriend was in Fourth Year as well." said Michael. "And then I didn't go out with anyone else until Cho."<br>"Exactly the same." said Caitlyn, smiling at Michael. They both went back to finding books, and not too long after, Michael seemed to find one that took his fancy. He took it out of the shelf, and went to sit down at one of the small tables. Caitlyn quickly chose a book, Quidditch Through the Ages, and walked out from behind the bookself casually. She spotted Michael, and walked over to his table. "Mind if I sit with you?" she asked.  
>"Certainly," he said, smiling warmly. Caitlyn took the seat opposite him, and opened her book. She'd already read it, several times in fact, but it was a very good book. After a few minutes, she glanced up, and noticed that Michael was leaning back in his seat, looking around him.<br>"Not exactly the most exciting way to spend your Saturday, huh?" she said.  
>"Yeah, not really." replied Michael, laughing to himself. "You bored too?"<br>"Out of my mind." replied Caitlyn.  
>"Want to go find something to do?" he asked.<br>"Sure." said Caitlyn. They left their books back on the shelves, and left the library. They walked down the corridors, chatting about nothing in particular, until they finally reached Gryffindor Tower.  
>"I think I'll actually head back to Ravenclaw Tower now." said Michael.<br>"Oh, okay." said Caitlyn. Michael made a goodbye gesture with his hand, and turned away. Caitlyn watched him go. Before he turned the corner, though, Michael stopped and hurried back.  
>"Caitlyn, next weekend's a Hogsmeade weekend, would... would you like to go, you know, with me?" he asked.<br>"Michael, I'd love to!" replied Caitlyn.  
>"Cool!" said Michael. "Well, then." he stood there awkwardly for a moment or so, before he leaned down, and kissed Caitlyn. It wasn't Caitlyn's first kiss, but it was her first with a boy she liked. She had never kissed Dean while they were dating, and after they split up, she and Seamus had kissed because they thought they were the only two who hadn't done it yet, and wondered what all the fuss was about. They both prefered to forget about that incident, though, little did Caitlyn know, Seamus no longer liked to forget about it, but often found himself remembering that one kiss, how much he wished they could do it again and again...<br>After a few seconds, Michael pulled away. They both stood awkwardly for a moment.  
>"Well, um, I'll see you next weekend?" said Michael.<br>"Yeah," replied Caitlyn, smiling sweetly.  
>"Well, see you round, then." said Michael, as he turned, and hurried off, though Caitlyn was sure she saw a grin spread across his face before he raced away. Caitlyn ran inside, and ran straight up to the girls dormitory. Hermione was in there herself, sitting on the end of her bed, reading a book.<br>"Hermione! Hermione, you'll never guess what!" exclaimed Caitlyn, running into the room and jumping onto Hermione's bed.  
>"What?" asked Hermione, smiling at how excited Caitlyn was.<br>"Michael Corner asked me out!" she said gellfully, jumping down off the bed and sitting down next to Hermione.  
>"Really?" asked Hermione.<br>"Really!" replied Caitlyn. "And then he _kissed me_!"  
>"Oh, Caitlyn, I'm really happy for you!" said Hermione. "Are you going to Hogsmeade with him?"<br>"Next weekend!" said Caitlyn. "My life is perfect right now!" she said to herself.

That evening, Caitlyn found Seamus sitting by himself in the Common Room.  
>"Hey, Shay." she said brightly, sitting down next to him.<br>"Hey." he replied.  
>"You'll never guess what happened today!" said Caitlyn.<br>"What happened?" asked Seamus, smiling at Caitlyn.  
>"You know Michael Corner?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"Yeah, I know Michael Corner." replied Seamus.  
>"Well, he asked me out!" said Caitlyn happily.<br>"Oh." said Seamus. He felt like something inside him, something close to his heart, had just died. "That's... nice."  
>"And then he kissed me!" said Caitlyn. The thing inside Seamus was now dying a much slower, much more painful death than before. Images of the kiss he had shared with Caitlyn two years ago now came flooding back to him, uninvited.<br>"You're happy for me, aren't you?" asked Caitlyn uncertainly.  
>"Course I'm happy for you, Kate." said Seamus, faking a smile.<br>"Oh, that's good." said Caitlyn, smiling at Seamus.  
>"Yep." said Seamus quietly to himself. "Absoloutely great."<p>

A/N - Aww, poor Seamus :'( Hopefully things will get better for him in the next chapter. Please leave me a review, I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the story!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - So, I added Chapter 3 earlier today, but since I've had two reviews in about two hours, I decided to add the next chapter, which I just finished. Enjoy!

One week later, Caitlyn was standing in the Great Hall, waiting for Michael. They were going to Hogsmeade, as they had planned.  
>"Hey." said a voice behind her, and she turned around to see Michael.<br>"Oh, hey!" she replied, and they set off.  
>"Where do you wanna go?" he asked.<br>"Um, The Three Broomsticks?" suggested Caitlyn.  
>"Sounds good." said Michael. They walked through Hogsmeade together, talking about nothing in particular, until they reached the Three Broomsticks. "I'll get us a couple of butterbeers, will you get us a table?" asked Michael.<br>"Yeah, sure." said Caitlyn, and she went to find one. She found a nice table in the corner, away from the crowd, but not completely on its own. A minute later, Michael set two butterbeers down on the table.  
>"There you go," he said, pushing one of the glasses towards Caitlyn. She took it, and took a sip.<br>"Thanks, Michael." said Caitlyn.  
>"No problem." he replied.<br>"I got a great book from the library a few days ago, and I've finished with it, I thought maybe you'd like to read it." said Caitlyn, taking the book out of her bag, and handing it to Michael. He looked at the cover, and then smiled at Caitlyn.  
>"Thanks." he said. "It looks good."<br>"It's really good, I read it in three days, which is pretty fast for me." said Caitlyn. Michael smiled, and took a drink of his butterbeer. While he was taking a drink, he spotted something behind Caitlyn and gagged on the butterbeer. "What?" asked Caitlyn.  
>"Is that Cho with David?" asked Michael disbelievingly.<br>"Cho and... what the...?" asked Caitlyn, completely confused, and turned around in her seat. A couple of tables back, she saw Cho Chang sitting with a boy Caitlyn didn't recognise, but who was quite tall and pretty good looking. "Who's that?"  
>"David Reed," said Michael.<br>"Is he in our year?" asked Caitlyn, who found it very strange that she didn't recognise someone she had classes with.  
>"No, he's in Seventh Year." replied Michael.<br>"Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff?" asked Caitlyn. She was pretty sure he wasn't in Gryffindor, anyway, as she would defenitely recognise him if they were in the same house, hanging about the same Common Room all the time. And, even though Caitlyn had never really taken much of a liking to Cho, she couldn't imagine her dating a Slytherin. Well, it looked like dating, anyway. They were holding hands.  
>"He's a Ravenclaw." said Michael.<br>"Um, well... moving on," said Caitlyn. "What do you want to talk about?"  
>"I dunno." said Michael. "Whatever you want."<br>"Um, favourite subjects?" she suggested feebly. "I can't think of anything else."  
>"Right, okay," said Michael, glancing over Caitlyn's shoulder. "What's yours?"<br>"Charms, it's the subject I'm best at," said Caitlyn. "You?"  
>"Defence Against the Dark Arts." he replied, glancing over Caitlyn's shoulder again.<br>"Well, I like DADA, but I'm not particularly good at it," said Caitlyn, bring Michael's attention back to herself. "Do you like Divination?"  
>"It's alright, I suppose," said Michael. "But I think Trelawwney just sort of makes it up as she goes along."<br>"Yeah, me too." said Caitlyn. Michael then glanced over Caitlyn's shoulder again. "Michael, why do you keep looking over at Cho?" she asked, annoyed.  
>"I'm not!" he replied, bringing his eyes back to Caitlyn's.<br>"Yes, you are," she said. "That's the third time you've looked over my shoulder to see what she's up to."  
>"Caitlyn, I'm not looking at Cho, alright?" asked Michael, taking another drink of butterbeer, but, just as he had done before, gagged on it, his eyes bulging. Caitlyn immediately turned round in her seat to look at Cho, to see that David had shifted his chair right next to Cho's, and they were now kissing each other.<br>"They're kissing," said Caitlyn, turning back to Michael. "And it bothers you,"  
>"What? It doesn't bother me..." said Michael, though with little conviction to his voice.<br>"Michael, you're still not over Cho." said Caitlyn. Michael opened his mouth to argue, but just sighed.  
>"Okay, fine. You're right, I'm not over her." he said.<br>"Michael, I'd have appreciated it if you had waited until you had gotten over Cho Chang before you asked me to go out with you." said Caitlyn.  
>"I'm sorry." said Michael, avoiding Caitlyn's eyes. "You don't have to stay here with me if you'd rather leave."<br>"Okay," said Caitlyn, picking up her bag and getting out of her seat. Just before she left, she turned to Michael. "I'm sorry, Michael."  
>"You're not the one who should be apologizing." he replied.<br>"Thanks for the butterbeer, though." said Caitlyn. "And I understand how you're feeling, so I'm not mad at you. Can we stay friends?" she asked.  
>"Of course," replied Michael. Caitlyn extended her hand to Michael, and he shook it.<br>"Friends," she said.  
>"Friends." he agreed. Caitlyn smiled.<br>"Bye, Michael." she said.  
>"Bye, Caitlyn." he replied, and Caitlyn set off, back to Hogwarts.<p>

*  
>As Caitlyn walked through the Portrait Hole, she was expecting to find it empty of everyone in Third Year and up, it being a Hogsmeade weekend. In fact, it was completely empty, except for one person.<br>"Hey, Shay," said Caitlyn, plopping down on the sofa next to her best friend. Seamus seemed to snap out of a trance.  
>"Caitlyn?" he asked. "I thought you were on your date with Michael."<br>"I was, but it didn't go very well, so we both decided to cut it short." she said. "But there's no hard feeling with either of us, we're gonna stay friends."  
>"So, what, you're not dating him again?" Seamus asked.<br>"Not really planning on it." replied Caitlyn, laughing to herself. The thing inside Seamus that had died seemed to be coming back to life.  
>"Oh, that's, um..." said Seamus, trying to find something to say that didn't show how happy he was.<br>"You don't need to comfort me, Seamus, I'm not upset." said Caitlyn.  
>"Right, okay." he replied, relieved not to have to say anything. "Well, neither of us have anything to do, wanna go find something to pass the afternoon?" he asked.<br>"Sure." replied Caitlyn. She ran quickly up to her dorm to leave down her bag, then set off with Seamus.

An hour later, after wandering the grounds, but finding nothing to do, Seamus and Caitlyn had come back to the Common Room, and were playing their fifth game of Exploding Snap.  
>"We're playing best-of-five, and I've won three, you can't win, Kate." Seamus reminded Caitlyn triumphantly.<br>"Fine, then, let's play best-of-seven." she replied. They had started out playing best-of-three, but after Seamus had won two games, they'd switched to best-of-five. Caitlyn had then won a game, but then Seamus had won again, making him impossible to beat with only one game left.  
>"Fine," said Seamus, rolling his eyes, but setting up the board for another game nonetheless. Halfway through the game, Dean came asking for Seamus's help with something, but it was clear he just wanted to talk to him in private.<br>"I win by default for this game." said Caitlyn jokingly.  
>"How'd you work that out?" asked Seamus.<br>"Dunno." replied Caitlyn.  
>"Fine, the score's three-two to me." said Seamus, going off with Dean. When they were out of earshot, Dean began questioning Seamus.<br>"I thought she was out with Michael Corner?" he asked.  
>"Their date went badly or something." said Seamus.<br>"Why was it bad?" asked Dean.  
>"Dunno, she didn't say." replied Seamus.<br>"What if she ended it because she wanted to spend the day with someone else?" asked Dean. "Maybe someone with a broad Irish accent?"  
>"I don't think so." said Seamus, though that thing inside him now seemed to be more full of life than ever.<br>"You never know, mate," replied Dean. "Try and find out."  
>"Fine," replied Seamus, turning to head back to Caitlyn.<br>"What did Dean want?" she asked casually.  
>"Ah, nothing," replied Seamus, shrugging his shoulders. They went back to their game, and played in silence for a few minutes.<br>"Caitlyn?" asked Seamus.  
>"Yeah?" replied Caitlyn.<br>"What went wrong on your date?" he asked. "You never said."  
>"Well, turns out Michael wasn't really over Cho Chang. She was there too, and Michael kept looking over at her and stuff like that." said Caitlyn.<br>"Well, he's a right git, then." said Seamus. They both kind of did that, if either of them was upset at someone, the other would insult that person like there was no tomorrow. Caitlyn chuckled.  
>"Yeah, figures." she said. Seamus was slightly dissapointed that the date had ended because of something Michael had done, rather than something Caitlyn had felt, but, hey, you can't win them all...<p>

A/N - So, good? Leave a comment, please!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - So, chapter 5... Not really mcuh to say about this one, other than enjoy!

"Seamus! Seamus! Seamus, where the hell are you?" asked Caitlyn excitedly, running into the boys' dormitory. She had already seen Dean with Ginny, and Ron, Hermione and Neville on her way back from the Great Hall, so she knew Seamus was in there alone.  
>"Caitlyn, this is the boys' dorm!" replied Seamus.<br>"I know!" replied Caitlyn. "I haven't been in here in three years!"  
>"Yeah, anyway, what're you so excited about?" asked Seamus.<br>"I've just been speaking to Harry!" said Caitlyn. Uh-oh, this didn't sound good...  
>"And...?" replied Seamus warily.<br>"I'm playing Keeper for Gryffindor in Saturday's game!" she replied hyperly, jumping with enthusiasm. Seamus sighed with relief.  
>"That's great, Kate!" he said happily. She ran forwards, and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Seamus hugged her back. He was getting that feeling again...<br>"I'm so excited, I never actually thought I'd get to play!" said Caitlyn, letting go of Seamus. "And even better, Harry got Demelza Robins to let me borrow her old broom!"  
>"Oh, cool!" said Seamus. "What type of broom is it?"<br>"It's a Nimbus 1000. Not really amazing, not the standard of broom the rest of the team's flying on, but a million times better than my own one." said Caitlyn.  
>"That's great, Caitlyn, I'm really happy for you!" said Seamus.<br>"Thanks, Shay," said Caitlyn, smiling broadly. "I can't wait `till Saturday!"

*  
>"Okay, Caitlyn, just so long as you keep your nerve, and stay focused, you'll do great, especially now you've got Demelza's Nimbus." said Harry. Most of the team were sitting in a group around the Gryffindor table, all but Caitlyn and Harry in their Quidditch uniform.<br>"Yeah, thanks, Harry." said Caitlyn.  
>"You're better than McLaggen, and you haven't even played yet." said Seamus, sitting down between Caitlyn and Ginny. Most of the kids within earshot laughed. Caitlyn just spotted Cormac, sitting down the table a little. He shot her a murderous look before getting up and walking away. Caitlyn felt kind of guilty, but told herself he's a real git anyway, which made her feel a little better.<br>"Yeah, I suppose so," said Caitlyn, laughing to herself. They both began to eat their breakfast in companiable silence.  
>"Alright, team, let's head down to the pitch and get ourselves ready." said Harry. Caitlyn quickly swallowed her food, took a drink, and turned to Seamus.<br>"Wish me luck," she said.  
>"Good luck," replied Seamus. "I'll be in the front row, cheering you on."<br>"I'm counting on it," replied Caitlyn. "I need a familiar face to give me encouragement out there,"  
>"Right," said Seamus, smiling. "Just one tip,"<br>"What?" asked Caitlyn.  
>"Catch the Quaffle, okay?" he said.<br>"Right you are." said Caitlyn, before she turned and hurried after the rest of the team.

*  
>The Quaffle was racing towards Caitlyn. She took a steadying breath, and got ready. She was going to catch that ball if it was the last thing she ever did. The Slytherin Chaser threw the Quaffle, and Caitlyn raced her broom in its direction. She held out her arms, and felt the impact of the Quaffle on her stomach, meaning she had caught it. A huge smile broke out across her face, and she looked down for the first time to the Gryffindor stand, and, sure enough, saw Seamus, right at the front, cheering with everybody else. She punched the air with her fist, before throwing the Quaffle back out, and the game continued...<p>

*  
>The Quaffle was coming towards her again. She got herself ready to catch it. Just as the Slytherin Seeker threw the ball, she flew in the direction of the hoop it was headed for. It was getting closer. She prepared for the impact of the Bludger on her chest, but when it came, it was amazingly powerful. Caitlyn fell back, off her broomstick, down, down, down... She blacked out before she hit the ground.<p>

A/N - Cliffhanger! Please review, and thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N - Hey! Okay, the last chapter ended with a cliff-hanger, so here's what happens next, after Caitlyn falls off her broomstick during Quidditch. Enjoy!

"Is she okay?" asked Seamus, as he came into the Hospital Wing.  
>"She's okay, yeah, but the potion Madam Pomfrey gave her kind of messed with her head." said Harry.<br>"She'll be back to normal by tomorrow," said Ginny. "Or so says Madam Pomfrey, anyhow."  
>"Uh, okay..." said Seamus, not quite sure what Ginny meant by `messed with her head`.<br>"Hey, Caitlyn, we're all gonna give you some peace and quiet," said Ginny, gesturing towards everyone from the team, speaking very slowly and clearly. "But your mate Seamus is here, he'll keep you company, okay?"  
>"Okay," said Caitlyn, a little too brightly for someone who had just fallen sixty feet off their broom. Seamus now understood Ginny perfectly. The potion had left Caitlyn a bit loopy. As everyone else filed out, Seamus took a seat next to his friend's bed, and Caitlyn sat up.<br>"Hey, Kate." said Seamus. Caitlyn started laughing hysterically.  
>"Hi, Seamus." she laughed.<br>"What's funny?" asked Seamus.  
>"You!" said Caitlyn. "You called me Kate!"<br>"Um, I've always called you Kate." said Seamus. This giggly, hyper, completely out-of-character Caitlyn was making Seamus feel quite uncomfortable.  
>"Have you?" asked Caitlyn, suddenly turning serious.<br>"Yeah," said Seamus awkwardly. Caitlyn just began to giggle again.  
>"So," said Caitlyn. She had stopped the stupid giggling, but she now had a goofy grin plastered over her face. "If you call me Kate... what do I call you?"<br>"You call me Shay." said Seamus. Caitlyn fell the bed, laughing like crazy.  
>"That's so funny!" she said.<br>"Look, Caitlyn, you're totally boggled from that potion, and you probably need rest or something like that, so I'm just gonna leave you to have some quiet, okay?" asked Seamus, getting up from his chair.  
>"No! No, stay, Seamus." said Caitlyn, sitting up again and grabbing Seamus's arm. Seamus sat down again, and Caitlyn released him. "Hey, Seamus?"<br>"Yeah?" he replied, expecting her to say something amazingly stupid, like `Hello, my name's Caitlyn, nice to meet you`.  
>"I've wanted to do this for a while," said Caitlyn.<br>"What?" asked Seamus. Then, Caitlyn reached forwards, grabbed Seamus's shoulders, and kissed him full on the mouth. Seamus froze in his seat for a second, then decided he may as well make the most of this oppertunity. He moved one of his hands to Caitlyn's waist, and kissed her back. After a while, Seamus pulled away, gasping for breath. Caitlyn giggled. Seamus looked at her, trying to figure out if she would remember this when the side-effects of the potion wore off. Her eyes were wider than usual, and had a sort of shiny look to them. Finally, he decided this memory would last no longer than the potion for Caitlyn, and if he was going to hell, he might as well do it thoroughly, so he grabbed Caitlyn and kissed her again. She responded enthusuastically, letting her hand run through Seamus's hair. When they broke apart again, Seamus decided to get out before he did anything stupid. No, until he did anything _more_ stupid than what he'd already done, though he doubted it was even possible. "Right, I have to, erm..."  
>He just got up and ran.<p>

A/N - Another cliff-hanger, sort of. Well, actually, it's not really a cliff-hanger, is it? Nope... Anyway, please leave a review, I love hearing what people think of the story!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N - I know this chapter's really short, but I felt that it would sort of spoil what happens in the chapter if I dragged it out and made it long. Anyway, hope you like it!

Seamus was sitting alone in the Common Room the next morning.  
>"Hey, Shay," said Caitlyn, sitting down next to him. "Madam Pomfrey let me go."<br>"Oh, great." said Seamus distractedly.  
>"What's up?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"What? Oh, nothing." said Seamus, not meeting Caitlyn's eyes.  
>"Okay, then," said Caitlyn. "So, did you come to visit me in the Hospital Wing?"<br>"Yeah," said Seamus. "Yeah, I did."  
>"Cool," said Caitlyn. "I don't really remember much, it's all sort of a blur."<br>"Yeah, the potion kind of mesed up your brain for a while, didn't it?" asked Seamus.  
>"Seriously," said Caitlyn. "I had such a headache this morning, it was unreal. I don't ever want to know what a hangover feels like if a bloody potion did that."<br>"Yeah, you were totally boggled, no sense in you." said Seamus.  
>"Oh, God, did I say something stupid?" she asked. "Is that why you're acting funny?"<br>"Well, you didn't really say anything," said Seamus.  
>"Then, did I do something?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"Well..." said Seamus. "You kind of... kissed me." There was a long silence, where Caitlyn's eyes seemed to be in danger of popping out of her head.  
>"I- I did what?" she asked stupidly.<br>"You kis-"  
>"I heard you the first time!" she said, her voice slightly more high-pitched than normal. "What the hell did Madam Pomfrey put in that ruddy potion?"<br>"I dunno, but it must've been damn strong." said Seamus.  
>"Seamus," said Caitlyn. "I'm really sorry, that potion seriously messed me up, I would never have done that had I been acting like myself."<br>"It's, you know, you weren't in control of yourself..." he said.  
>"Yeah," said Caitlyn, sounding relieved. "Can we please, please just forget about this and go back to being friends?"<br>"Yeah, sure." said Seamus.  
>"Great!" said Caitlyn.<br>"Yeah," replied Seamus. "Friends."  
>"Friends forever." said Caitlyn, smiling.<br>"Freinds forever." repeated Seamus. "Friends_._ Forever."

A/N - Okay, good? Just okay? Bad? I know this one wasn't as upbeat as others. Especially chapter six, it was _really_ fun to write! Leave a review please, and tell me what you thought!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N - Well, hope it's good! Leave a review if you liked it, or if you didn't, I'm not picky! Thanks guys!

Caitlyn and Seamus were walking through the streets of Hogsmeade together, as they usually did on Hogsmeade weekends.  
>"Good God, are Harry and Ginny together?" asked Caitlyn, as she watched the pair go into the Three Broomsticks.<br>"Yeah," replied Seamus.  
>"That's news to me." replied Caitlyn. "Anyway, where do you want to go?"<br>"I need a new quill, so can we go to the bookstore?" asked Seamus.  
>"Okay." replied Caitlyn, and they set off for the Hogsmeade bookstore.<p>

*  
>In the shop, Seamus went looking for some quills, and Caitlyn wandered around, having a look to see if there were any good books, preferably about Quidditch.<br>"Read them all." she muttered to herself, as she found three books on Quidditch.  
>Then, she came across a shelf of empty diaries. Some were very pretty. Caitlyn had always wanted a proper diary, but she had never gotten around to buying one. She picked up one of them, and flicked through the blank pages of parchment. The cover was red, with a blue design that looked kind of like flowers.<br>"What's that?" asked Seamus, appearing behind her.  
>"A diary." said Caitlyn.<br>"Oh." replied Seamus.  
>"I've always wanted a proper diary." said Caitlyn, setting it back on the shelf.<br>"Then why don't you buy one?" asked Seamus.  
>"I spent all the money I brought with me in Honeydukes." said Caitlyn.<br>"I could lend you a Galleon if you want." said Seamus.  
>"Nah, don't bother." replied Caitlyn, shrugging. "I'll get one next time we're in Hogsmeade."<br>"Right, okay." said Seamus, as they left the shop.  
>It was cold outside, and everyone had coats on.<br>"I'm just going to go to the toilet, I'll be back in a minute." said Caitlyn. "Will you wait for me?"  
>"Sure," replied Seamus. "I'll wait here."<br>"Thanks." said Caitlyn, hurrying off.  
>Suddenly, a plan began to form in Seamus's head. The nearest toilets were in Zonko's, and it would take her about ten minutes to get there, go to the bathroom, and walk back. Today was the tenth of March. The seventeenth of March was Caitlyn's birthday.<br>Before Seamus knew it, he was walking back into the book shop, to buy one of the diaries for Caitlyn's birthday present. They cost a Galleon, exactly what he had left. He looked through them, until he found one that was red with a pattern in a yellow-ish gold colour, and had a little poem written inside.  
>When you make a best friend, they're there forever.<br>because when you make a best friend, you're together forever.  
>Seamus went up to the desk, payed for it, and hid it in the inside pocket of his coat before going back outside.<br>Caitlyn appeared a minute or so later.  
>"Hey," she said.<br>"Hi." said Seamus.  
>"D'you want to go back to the castle now? It's absoloutely freezing." said Caitlyn, rubbing her arms.<br>"Yeah, okay." replied Seamus, and they headed back towards Hogwarts.  
>"So, did you do that Herbology assignment?" asked Caitlyn.<br>"Nah, I couldn't be bothered." replied Seamus. "I'll do it sometime."  
>"Wanna work on it together?" asked Caitlyn. "It'll make it easier."<br>"Yeah, sure." replied Seamus.  
>They walked back to the castle together, and headed up to the Gryffindor Common Room to begin their homework.<p>

A/N - I know the chapters are getting progressively shorter, but I _promise_ you, the next chapter will be longer!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N – Well, I promised you a long chapter, so here it is. In a moment of complete madness, I began writing at quarter past midnight and didn't stop until gone three because I was so determined not to put it off any longer. So I hope you're happy. Anyway, enjoy!

OOO

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAITLYN!"

Dean was standing next to Seamus at the bottom of the stairs to the Girls Dorm.

"You're in for it, mate," muttered Seamus, knowing that what they were doing right now involved two of Caitlyn's least favourite things in the world: getting up early and drawing too much attention her way.

A minute later, Caitlyn appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Is that _really_ necessary at half past eight on a Saturday morning?" she grumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Seamus's stomach began to feel funny: she was wearing baggy, stripey pyjama trousers with a Quidditch shirt at least two sizes too big for her with thick, bright blue woollen socks pulled up over the bottoms of the legs of her trousers, while her hair was falling out of the ponytail she had obviously tied it up in before she had gone to bed. Even though Caitlyn was not particularly girly and wasn't fussed about makeup or fashion, she was still pretty.

"C'mon, it's your birthday, lighten up!" said Dean cheerfully.

"I'll lighten up after I've spent another hour asleep." she moaned, though began to come down the stairs nonetheless.

"Happy birthday." said Seamus, smiling.

"Yeah, thanks," muttered Caitlyn.

"So, guessing you're not a morning person?" asked Dean, smirking.

"No, Dean, I _love_ getting up at the crack of dawn, that's why I'm so bubbly and full of energy right now." said Caitlyn, rolling her eyes.

"Right, sorry," said Dean, laughing shamelessly now.

"Ugh," said Caitlyn, turning to go back up to her dorm. "Come back in half an hour, you'll get more sense out of me then."

"Wait, Caitlyn!" called Seamus. "I have a birthday present for you, I just have to do get it from under my bed."

"Dean, go away, I need to tell Seamus something that I'm not exactly sure I want you to know." she said.

"Whatever you wish, m'lady," sniggered Dean before turning to walk down to the common room. Seamus and Caitlyn heard the portrait hole close a few seconds later.

"You do know boys can get up to the girls' dorm, right?" asked Caitlyn.

"No, I didn't, actually," said Seamus, suddenly very interested. "How?"

"Broomsticks." said Caitlyn, her eyes shining with the natural thrill of going against the rules. None of the boys were meant to know this, it was an old secret known only to the girls, discovered by the previous generation of students.

"Are you serious?" asked Seamus.

"Wait here, I'll be two seconds." she said, as she turned and ran up to her room. She returned at the top of the stairs a few seconds later with Demelza Robin's broom in her hands. She tossed it down to Seamus.

"Try." she said.

"Alright." he replied, mounting the broom. He closed his eyes before kicking off the ground, a part of him worried that this was a prank, that the stairs would still turn into a slide and he'd go crashing right down again. He did crash, but not back down to the bottom of the stairs. Instead he flew head-on into the wall at the top as he hadn't known when to stop with his eyes closed.

"Watch yourself!" exclaimed Caitlyn, kneeling down beside Seamus. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," laughed Seamus, rolling onto his back. As soon as he saw the look on Caitlyn's face, he burst out laughing.

"Seamus Finnigan, you absolute _plank_." said Caitlyn, holding out her hand to pull him up off the floor, though she was smiling.

"Hope I didn't wreck the broom," said Seamus, inspecting the Nimbus. "No, looks fine."

"C'mon, then," said Caitlyn, heading into her dormitory. Seamus somehow felt like he really shouldn't go there.

"I feel wrong being up here," he laughed.

"Nobody's here, anyway." she said, so Seamus followed her somewhat reluctantly to her dorm. "Here we are." she said, once they'd arrived in the room.

"Looks exactly like my dorm." commented Seamus.

"Yup." said Caitlyn. "Oh, here, I've got something for you."

She walked over to her bed, opened the trunk sitting at the end of it and rummaged through it until she found whatever it was she was looking for.

"Caitlyn, it's your birthday, not mine," laughed Seamus.

"I know," she said. "But this belongs to you anyway."

With that, she tossed him an old shirt. Seamus caught it and unravelled it from the tight ball it had been rolled in. "It's my Irish Quidditch Team shirt! You had it all along!"

"Yeah," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"I was gonna die it pink for a prank last April's Fools Day," she said. "But then I realised you'd hate me forever and I didn't have to heart to actually do it."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't," he said. "I thought I'd lost it, I was gonna ask Mum for e new one for Christmas."

"Well, you don't have to now." smiled Caitlyn.

"Yeah," he said. "Anyway, come on, I want to give you your present."

They walked out of the dorm together, and just for the sheer fun of it, Seamus stepped onto the top of the stairs and almost surfed down them as they transformed into a slippery slope, laughing loudly.

"I think I've found a new hobby," he said afterwards, breathless from laughing.

"Well, if you're counting on being welcomed into our dorm at any hour of the day you choose, you're sorely mistaken," joked Caitlyn.

"Yeah, probably." replied Seamus. "Wait here and I'll go get your present, ok?"

"Okay," she said, waiting for him to come back downstairs.

OOO

"Okay, here it is!" said Seamus triumphantly, holding out an inexpertly wrapped package. Dean, who had returned while he had been in the girls' dorm and made himself comfortable on the sofa next to the fire grinned at him, though Caitlyn didn't notice.

"Ahh, thanks!" she said brightly, taking the package and ripping the paper off to reveal the diary. "Oh, wow!"

"You like it?" asked Seamus.

"I love it!" she exclaimed. "I've _always_ wanted a proper diary!"

"You told me," he said, kind of awkwardly. "So I thought you might like one for your birthday, since it's a special one. Coming of age and all that stuff."

"Come here," she said, throwing her arms around her best friend's neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

Dean winked at Seamus behind Caitlyn's back, grinning stupidly. Seamus looked daggers at him, though the two found it almost impossible to be genuinely angry with one another.

"Hey, you two," called Dean. "If you're quite finished squeezing each other."

"What, Dean?" asked Caitlyn, pulling away from Seamus and turning to face the other boy.

"I have a little birthday present of my own for you," he said, getting up from the sofa and walking towards his friends.

"Which is…?" asked Seamus.

"A party," said Dean. "Don't worry, I only invited people you would want there,"

"How in the world are you going to throw a party in the common room with every other Gryffindor in the school coming and going through the place?" asked Seamus.

"Simple," he said. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Stick-bombs: Guaranteed to clear out any room within thirty seconds."

"Uhh…" said Caitlyn uncertainly.

"Unless, of course, you eat one of the immunity gums before you set of the bomb." said Dean. "Which we will all do."

"I hate to admit it," smiled Seamus. "But that's genius."

"Thanks, Dean." smiled Caitlyn.

"Do I get a hug too?" he asked sarcastically. Caitlyn rolled her eyes and gave him a hug, flicking the back of his head while she did it.

"Ah!" exclaimed Dean, pushing her away.

"Haha, fell for it, Thomas!" laughed Caitlyn, and though he pretended to be mad, Dean laughed too, and Seamus joined in before long.

One thing was certain, anyway: Tonight was going to be one heck of a night.


End file.
